Fortress Mountain has many things in common with more traditional fortresses.
The popular peak located in Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies is difficult, but not impossible to penetrate. Like any true fortress, if you want to conquer it, you’re going to have to work for it. It’s hiking challenges like this that can change your life.
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It’s between 18-20 km long of hiking and scrambling roundtrip, depending on which route you take. Then, there are the 1100 meters of heart-pumping elevation gain. It’s definitely a mountain adventure.
Some of which is very slow going on the hiking trail. There’s nothing fast about digging each foot into a steep snow drift, making sure your foot is secure, before digging the next step.
But if you want to reap the rewards of conquering any fortress, you’ve got to be prepared to put the work in. And in this case, the expansive views over the Rocky Mountains more than compensate your effort. Not to mention that YES, I did it! feeling. And how do you put a price on a sense of achievement and adventure?
As with any true fortress, one must be prepared for anything. That’s especially true when it’s located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. That could be camping in snow – in June or wildlife encounters. We narrowly avoided a large grizzly on the way back!
Instead of bullets being whizzed at your or blazing cannons fired your way, at Fortress Mountain you may face a different element. I’m talking about the temperamental weather. When I was there, I was pelted by hail close to the size of hail almost the size of golf balls.
Then it started thundering and lightning! Believe me, the very last place you want to be during a lightning storm is on a high peak! It did motivate me to make one of my quickest ever descents though!
For more info on scrambling Fortress Mountain contact the tourist office in Kananaskis Country. The trail starts at the trailhead for Chester Lake.
Once you leave Chester Lake it turns into an unmarked unofficial trail, making for a true adventure! But as Fortress Mountain is a popular scramble, the tourist office can likely give you some info on the trail conditions and current weather.
Regardless, always be prepared with rain gear and bring gloves and a hat – even if it’s a hot day, see my day hiking packing list for a complete list. The weather can change really quickly.
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Looks like quite a hike to get up there! It really does resemble a fortress — very cool!
Yes, my son and I scrambled to the summit of Fortress in August, 2002. It is a bit of a grunt but definitely worth the effort. I recommend taking the counter-clockwise direction around Chester via the headwall. It is a more forgiving route and incredibly scenic. Doing it the clockwise direction past Chester Lake requires ascent via the scree slope at the end of Chester which will suck the life out of nearly anyone. It is possible that arrival at the Chester – Fortress col will leave you without the will to live, let alone the will to finish the final short scramble to the Fortress summit. The view from the top, down the technical side to tiny Fortress Lake at the bottom of 5.000 ft of air is unforgettable. A great hike and scramble, preferably sans fog and hail. Kudos on you. Brought back good memories.
@Debbie – Well the day we were there it was hailing and foggy so we could only see about a meter in front of us. Fortunately the next time I climbed a nearby peak, it was clear and the views were gorgeous. If you do that much work, you want to be rewarded for your efforts 🙂
@Michael – Thanks Michael,
@Sabrina – Agreed, getting to it was much tougher than getting to any fortresses I’ve visited in Germany 🙂
Looks very cool! 18-20 kilometers of walking? And lots of it uphill? Sounds like a fortress to me 😉
The views you must get from this fortress! Very beautiful picture.
Beautiful photo, Laurel! I like the way you compared this fortress to the types you see in Germany too 🙂